


The Other Woman

by calie15



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-16
Updated: 2013-10-16
Packaged: 2017-12-29 13:59:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1006262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calie15/pseuds/calie15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Silence drew out in the car as Diggle drove until Oliver finally broke it by bursting out, "Laurel accused me of having feelings for my personal assistant."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Other Woman

Silence drew out in the car as Diggle drove until Oliver finally broke it by bursting out, "Laurel accused me of having feelings for my personal assistant."

Diggle glanced back in the rear view mirror, eyebrows raised. "I assume she didn't even use her name?"

Oliver shook his head and stared out the window. "It's easier to keep those two worlds apart. I don't even think Laurel knows her name."

Diggle didn't respond, but as his brain went through Oliver's interactions with Laurel he realized the man was right. They didn't interact. "Is that the only reason you keep them away from one another?"

Oliver sighed and grit his teeth at the question. It was something he'd been asking himself. "The point is Felicity is a big part of my life, a life Laurel doesn't know about or understand, and all she is going to do is misinterpret it."

"To be fair," Diggle added, "she has reason too." In the rear view mirror Oliver met his gaze and glared. "Hey, you started it man."

"There's nothing I can do about the time I spend with Felicity," Oliver said finally, coming back to the problem at hand. "And I don't have a good enough explanation for Laurel."

"Maybe it'll just take some time." Oliver only frowned in response. Diggle sighed and found himself also frowning, except for different reasons.

"What?" Oliver asked, noting the change in Diggle.

"Nothing," Diggle responded with a shake of his head. Some things just should be left alone.

"No, what? I told you because I need help to get Laurel off this idea she has. If you have something to say then spit it out." Oliver could make out the intense glare in Digg's eyes in the mirror. "What?"

"You're not going to want to hear it."

"Try me."

"Alright fine," Digg began in a firm tone, refusing to hold back, "maybe you need to consider that it isn't Laurel jumping to conclusions because of the time you spend with Felicity, maybe you actually have feelings for her."

"Diggle..." Oliver began.

Diggle continued though. "Problem is you won't face it, and the longer you deny it-".

"I'm not denying it!" Oliver snapped angrily. There was silence after that. With a sigh Oliver released his pent up frustration, feeling slightly relieved to admit to it out loud. "I'm not denying that Laurel is right, I just need to put her worries at ease and-."

"And move on Oliver? Not going to happen. Felicity isn't going anywhere and Laurel isn't stupid. You need to make a decision, you need-."

"Felicity can't happen," he snapped at the suggestion. "There's to much at risk, our covers, connecting her to the Green Arrow, our ability to even work together. I can't do that. Not to mention I still love Laurel."

"All good reasons," Diggle said with a nod and waited, watching Oliver in the mirror as he stared darkly through window. "Yet they've done nothing to stop you from having feelings for her have they?"

The truth of Diggle's words is what troubled Oliver. Even considering that his feelings for Felicity would continue to linger left him anxious, almost fearful. 

"You're living two different lives and you have a woman you care about in each. Laurel is part of you previous life, Felicity is a part of the new one."

Oliver looked at Diggle in the mirror. "And you're suggesting Felicity."

"I'm not suggesting Felicity, even though I'm partial to her. You have valid concerns. She could get hurt, and I don't want to see that either. But you have two very different women a part of two very different lives. Which do you want?"

Oliver couldn't have responded if he wanted to. The car pulled up to the curb and the passenger side door opposite to him opened and Felicity slid in.

"Thank god!" She exclaimed and set some files to the side."I'm starved! What happened to lunch with Laurel?"

Oliver tensed. "She canceled." He met Diggle's eye and he knew the man had to have been thinking the same thing Oliver was. If Laurel suspected him of having feelings for Felicity and canceled on him, then the last thing be should have been doing was having lunch with her.

"Again?!" She laughed. "Oliver that's the second time this week! What did you do?" She teased.

He looked at her and whatever she saw made her sober. He shook his head. "It's nothing."

"I'm sorry," she said gently, pity in her eyes, "I'm sure you'll work it out."

Oliver could only nod in response. 

"You're lucky you have me as a back up lunch date Oliver Queen," she said with a smile and looked down to open one of the folders in her lap. "I don't know what you'd do without me."

He stared at her after that statement, unable to form a reasonable response, because all of it was true. When Laurel wasn't in his life he surrounded himself with Felicity. She was always there. He turned away before she noticed his gaze and looked out the window again.

"So," Diggle spoke up finally, "the usual?" He asked, referring to their choice for lunch.

"No," Oliver said and shook his head, not meeting anyone's eye, "let's try something different."


End file.
